MMCC buys land for future science and technology center

Published 8:00 pm, Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Mid Michigan Community College now has a home for its envisioned Science and Technology Center in Mt. Pleasant. The college recently purchased three parcels of land totaling nearly 40 acres on the corner of Broadway and Summerton in Mount Pleasant.

"This gives us the room we need now and 50 years from now," said Ron Verch, president of MMCC. "Ideally, we would have liked to build directly adjacent to our existing campus, but this is the next best option."

The college's current campus on Pickard Street in Mount Pleasant sits on five acres and is completely surrounded by land owned by the Holiday Inn. There are plans to purchase a small parcel to expand the existing parking lot, but there was not enough land available for future expansion.

The purchase of land on Broadway, which totaled about $575,000, will allow MMCC to move forward with plans to build a Science and Technology Center. The college was awarded $8.5 million from the state of Michigan to support the $17 million project that will provide a space dedicated to teaching sciences and technology and address critical overcrowding issues. MMCC has also received over $2.3 million dollars in gifts for the project.

"The demand for nurses and other medical professionals is growing every year," said Verch. "This center will help us train the workers needed to meet that demand.